title: Evaluation of the Iconic Pain Assessment Tool by a heterogeneous group of people in pain.
abstract: The Iconic Pain Assessment Tool (IPAT) is a novel web-based instrument for the self-report of pain quality, intensity and location in the form of a permanent diary. Originally designed for people with central poststroke pain, the tool is being adapted for a larger, more diverse patient population. The present study aimed to collect evaluative feedback on the IPAT from a heterogeneous sample of individuals with chronic pain. The specific study aims were to evaluate participant comfort with the tool including enjoyment, ease of use and comfort with the electronic medium; to assess perceived value of the tool for communicating pain quality, intensity and location; to gauge participant intent to share their pain diaries with others and use the tool on a regular basis to track their pain over time; to assess the perceived descriptiveness of current IPAT icons and the numerical rating scale; and to identify strengths and weaknesses of the tool to refine the existing prototype. Written and verbal feedback from individuals with a variety of chronic pain conditions (n=23) were collected in the context of these objectives. Overall, the IPAT was positively endorsed by this heterogeneous sample of people in pain. The authors concluded that the IPAT is a user-friendly instrument that has the potential to help people express, document and share their personal experience with chronic pain.
authors.affiliation: Department of PSychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Chitra
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lalloo
authors.forename: James L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Henry
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003142:Communication; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009862:Online Systems; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D058748:Pain Perception / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult